Monday, August 20, 2007 Solar power costly for Cordi households: group By Jane Cadalig
ALTHOUGH solar energy is readily available in any area, the technology is too costly for an ordinary household.
Constantino Sudaypan of the Affiliated Non-conventional Energy Center (Anec) at the Benguet State University said the technology is costly, especially for households living in far-flung areas. Anec serves as the local office of the Department of Energy (DOE).
A solar panel, used to store the energy from daylight, costs P30,000, Sudaypan said. A regular solar panel could store about 18 volts, which could only be used for lighting and to activate small appliances for one household.
The solar panel is available locally but the fabrication is done abroad.
Sudaypan was one of the speakers during the media capacity building program of the Energy and Clean Air project of the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid).
In Benguet, solar energy is proposed for inaccessible areas like Barangays Takadang and Lusod in Kabayan. Aside from solar energy, the Cordillera region is rich in other forms of renewable power sources.
Hydropower and geothermal power are potential energy sources in the region.
Sudaypan said the government has proposed the establishment of a geothermal power in Kalinga, Daclan and Buguias in Benguet. The proposed projects are seen to generate around 20 to 120 megawatts.
Access to energy is considered one of the major factors that could help accelerate countryside development.
As per the 2004 data from the DOE, Cordillera is 94.20 percent energized. A total of 1,104 barangays out of the 1,172 villages in the region are already energized.
The National Electrification Administration considers a barangay energized if electric poles and electric lines already reached the area.
